The Upcountry is home to many musicians, some who influenced the whole world and some who are entertaining crowds this weekend at one of our many festivals.

One way to get a feel for our musical heritage is to take a walking tour of the Music Trail in Spartanburg. This phone audio tour of 12 stops in downtown Spartanburg opened in 2011 and runs six blocks. It features those who made national or international impact in the world of music and have roots in the area. Visitors to the Trail can see photos of the musical artists and call a toll-free phone number to hear their music and their life stories. Take the virtual tour here. After the tour, you are just steps away from a museum, if you are wanting more history, or from several local watering holes where you will find live entertainment.

This part of the country is home of the Piedmont Blues. Josh White, Rev. Gary Davis and Pink Anderson are copied by and were influential to musicians all over the world. The rock group Pink Floyd was named by their bass player Syd Barrett, a blues lover, by combining the names of Pink Anderson and Georgia bluesman Floyd Council.

What would the 1970’s be without the Marshall Tucker Band? For more than 300 nights a year in the ’70s, arena and amphitheater audiences heard, “From Spartanburg, South Carolina, the Marshall Tucker Band!” And there probably would not have been those sweet harmonies in Marshall Tucker’s songs if it wasn’t the 1835 book, The Southern Harmony, and Musical Companion by “Singing Billy” Walker. With his novice-friendly shape note system (think fa-sol-la-mi) that allowed choirs to learn to harmonize in church without reading music, Walker changed how people sang together. He also combined a popular poem of the time with a traditional melody to create the hymn “Amazing Grace.”

Today’s artists Aaron Tippin, Marshall Chapman, David Ball and Edwin McCain hail from the Upcountry. If you head to Greenville during Euphoria, a multiday music and food fest, you’ll have the opportunity to hear Edwin McCain perform throughout the weekend. Here is a list, in no particular order, of some of our noteworthy musicians:

Hank Garland ·

Marshall Tucker Band ·

Bobby Thompson ·

Uncle Walt’s Band ·

Pink Anderson ·

David Ball ·

Rev. Gary Davis ·

Aaron Tippin ·

Josh White ·

Myrtle Hall Smith ·

Sarah Reece ·

Buck Trent ·

Marshall Chapman ·

Don Reno ·

Jennifer Goree ·

Arthur Smith ·

Edwin McCain ·

The Dixie Hummingbirds ·

Daryle Ryce ·

Johnny Blowers ·

Charlie Daniels ·

Arthur “Peg Leg Sam” Jackson ·

Garfeel Ruff ·

Clara “Violet Green” Smith ·

Esquerita aka Eskew Reeder, Jr. ·

Rudy “Blue Shoes” Wyatt ·

Blue Ridge Quartet ·

Moses Dillard ·

Charles Henry “Baby” Tate ·

Peabo Bryson ·

Champ Hood ·

Paul Peek ·

Freddie “Careless” Love ·

Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates ·

Willie Walker ·

Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones ·

Carl Story ·

Lil McClintoch ·

Christopher Allen Bouchillon ·

Marty McCall ·

William “Singin’ Billy” Walker ·

Jack Calhoun ·

Marshall Barnes ·

Jennings Thompson, Jr ·

Julius “June” Cheeks ·

David Daniels ·

Carlisle Floyd ·

Carlos Moseley ·

Gianna Rolandi ·

Lily Strickland ·

Mac Arnold ·

Ira Tucker ·

Arthur Prysock ·

Walter Hyatt ·

Freddie Vanderford ·

Hovie Lister

And we’re producing new artists all the time. The Y.A.M. (Young Appalachian Musicians) program is run in Greenville, Oconee and Pickens Counties for children to learn traditional string instruments like fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar. Several local schools have strong music programs, such as Limestone College (est. 1845) and Furman University, which produced Keith Lockhart, the conductor of the Boston Pops since 1995. Converse College’s Petrie School of Music has been teaching students music for over 100 years. Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg have professional orchestras that provide world-class entertainment with international performers.

The Spartanburg Regional History Museum has on permanent display William “Singing Billy” Walker’s tuning fork and a first edition copy of The Southern Harmony.

So just about anywhere you go in the Upcountry, you are bound to run into someone playing some style of music. Some of the more unique opportunities to hear music in the area are: Hagood Mill Historic Site has free music on the first and third Saturdays every month; Oolenoy Community Center hosts one of the largest bluegrass jams in the area every Friday night; Smiley’s Acoustic Cafe, the Handlebar and The Bohemian in Greenville feature regional and national acts in unique settings; Blues Boulevard and Ground Zero in Spartanburg offer opposite ends of the spectrum – from jazz to punk, and The Showroom always has an eclectic mix; Capri on Main in Gaffney is an old movie theater that now hosts live music. Find more great music venues.

When you visit the Upcountry, plan to hear some live music. Classical, blues, punk, folk and more await you. You may just stumble across a local musician who’ll influence the rest of the world. At the very least you’ll have a good time.